They're the homes of Capital Region college presidents. With a number of locally and nationally known colleges and universities, the Capital Region is a hub for higher education. And the homes provided to leaders of these schools are in many cases central to their campuses, albeit not in obvious ways.

While not open to the campus population like, say, a student union building or library, they are identifiable symbols of the schools with their own unique histories and stories.

Moreover, housing is frequently one of the perks that come with the job of college president. According to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, 58 percent of university and college presidents surveyed nationwide have their housing provided or subsidized to some extent.

Presidents' homes also underscore the job responsibilities of today's campus leader since many of the residences serve double duty as both a home and a place for meetings with alumni, donors, visiting dignitaries and students.

Union College President David R. Harris stands in the main entrance of the Union College President's home in Schenectady, NY. (Phoebe Sheehan/Times Union) (Phoebe Sheehan, Albany Times Union | Times Union)

Most of the homes would spark some real estate envy by people who admire distinctive architecture and furnishings. That can be a sensitive point, though. Several local schools, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The College of Saint Rose and the University at Albany, declined to provide access or tours of their president's homes when asked by a reporter.

The homes

College president homes vary in value, but all are tax exempt. Below are Capital Region college president homes, listed by address, assessed value and size. Because they are part of not-for-profit schools, they are not taxed but most are listed on local tax rolls.

(Union College's house was not listed separately from the rest of the campus)

Source: Municipal assessment rolls and real estate websites.

The homes of the presidents of both Saint Rose and UAlbany aren't part of the campus landscape since they are located a few blocks and four miles away, respectively. Skidmore sent a package of information about the president's home but wouldn't open it for a tour.

The hesitancy may speak to worries about appearances amid the rising cost of college tuition and fees. The homes can serve as the public face of an institution. But if it's viewed as too extravagant, it can become a lightning rod, especially if a school is enacting budget cuts or sharp tuition hikes, said Charlotte Hancock, of Generation Progress, a nonprofit that follows the cost of higher education.

"It seems like maybe a small piece in the overall spending but that doesn't mean it's not problematic," she said.

Others note that in New York schools are usually tax-exempt, meaning they pay no property or school taxes, which is contentious in many of the highly-taxed, cash-starved cities that house the schools.

Some officials such as Albany assessment commissioner Trey Kingston have questioned that. He believes that a home provided as a full or partial perk to an employee could fall into a gray area regarding its tax-exempt status.

Regardless, several of the homes in this region, as one would expect, have value as historic buildings, representing a bygone era and telling part of the region's rich past through architectural detail.

Sage Colleges

Russell Sage College president's house on First Street in Troy, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union) (Will Waldron, Albany Times Union | Times Union)

The Sage Colleges president's home in Troy is a good example. Vail House, a three-story Federal-style brick home dates to 1818 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Named for a prominent local family that spent several generations there, the house was closed for part of the 1980s as it underwent restoration. It's across the street from the school's main campus.

"Everyone knows where I live," said Sage President Christopher Ames, who with his wife, Lauren, occupies the second and third floor of the building. Ames' contract calls for him to live in the house although he admits "It's a pretty pleasant requirement."

The first thing a visitor notices is the dramatic circular mahogany staircase that goes up to the third floor. In a bygone era, the owners would fill the center with a three-story Christmas tree during the holiday season.

The interior of the home of the president of Sage Colleges, in Troy. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

"We try to have events here as often as we can," Ames said of the first floor where the architecture and furnishings have been restored to their original design. That includes a large set of bookshelves, complete with old books, that were imported from England, chairs with decorative cherubs and a table that seats 24. All told, they can fit up to 80 people in the space for dinners. In a nod to modern fire codes, none of the six fireplaces actually work.

Other touches include doors on either side of the space, even if one of them serves no purpose, since "people loved symmetry," said Ames.

Skidmore College

The home of the Skidmore College president in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union) (Paul Buckowski, Albany Times Union | Times Union)

Another historic home is Scribner House, which is occupied by Skidmore College's president. It is named for Skidmore College founder Lucy Skidmore Scribner. She was the widow of J. Blair Scribner, a partner in Scribner publishing company. She purchased the house for $28,500 in 1897.

Located on the edge of the Skidmore campus in Saratoga Springs, the home has a gambrel roof and a second story sun porch. One of the most notable features is a stained glass work with figures from history and literature, including Hector and Andromache as well as Ann Boleyn. There was a greenhouse at one time but that was removed years ago.

When President Philip Glotzbach and his wife, Marie, arrived in 2003, the dining and living room were repainted yellow and green, Skidmore's colors. The colors are also used in stained glass panels in the house.

A recent Google maps photo depicts a white lawn jockey out front, which is not a surprise given the house and school's proximity to the famous Saratoga Race Course. Glotzbach is retiring in 2020 and the next president may want to put his or her stamp on the historic home.

A few of the college president's homes aren't physically connected to their campuses.

College of Saint Rose

The College of Saint Rose president's home in Albany, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union) (Paul Buckowski, Albany Times Union | Times Union)

President Carolyn Stefanco of The College of Saint Rose lives in a house on South Manning Boulevard in a large, nice but nondescript brick house, just over a block from the main campus.

University at Albany

The University at Albany president's home on Little Falls Place in Guilderland, N.Y. (Will Waldron/Times Union) (Will Waldron, Albany Times Union | Times Union)

University at Albany President Havidan Rodriguez and his wife, Rosy Lopez, live in a home at Little Falls Place in Guilderland owned by the University at Albany Foundation, a separate not-for-profit organization that supports the school.

The large brick house on a leafy cul de sac was purchased when Robert Jones was president. He had been living in a condominium which could only host about seven or eight people.

The foundation purchased the home with an account designated for real estate purposes. At the time of the purchase in 2014, George R. Hearst III, president of the foundation's board of directors and publisher and CEO of the Times Union said "We need to use the president more strategically for fundraising and the new residence provides a gracious venue for that purpose."

Before Jones, the UAlbany president's house was at 5 Englewood Place on the edge of Washington Park near the school's old downtown campus. It had been purchased by the foundation in 1998 extensively renovated for former President Karen Hitchcock but was expensive to maintain. It included a billiard room and extensive gardens. They sold it for $625,000.

Union College

The Union College President's home in Schenectady, NY. (Phoebe Sheehan/Times Union) (Phoebe Sheehan, Albany Times Union | Times Union)

The Union College president's house in Schenectady is on the campus, so much so that that it's been described in earlier stories as fishbowl.

The 7,500-square foot Georgian style home sits next to a dormitory. Students have been known to mistake it for a frat house. Union's recently appointed president, David R. Harris, who came on board in 2018, also purchased a home in nearby Niskayuna where his youngest daughter attends school.

That's not to say Harris has been absent from the campus or community: he recently hosted discussions about combating hate groups and has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity days.

Views of the home of the president of Union College in Schenectady. (Phoebe Sheehan/Times Union)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

An aerial view of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's president's house. The 19,494-square foot mansion is located at 2005 Tibbits Avenue in Troy. The house, which was built of RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson, is the largest house for a college president in the Capital Region. (Google Earth image)

The largest presidential house in the Capitol Region is the mansion/compound built for RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson in 2011.

At 19,494-square feet it approaches the New York Governor's Mansion in size (29,500 square feet) although that might not be obvious, given that it's secluded behind a fence and a stand of trees. The cost to build the home has been pegged at $3.5 million, although RPI officials have noted that it was funded by personal donations from members of the school's board of trustees.

Siena College

A view of the Siena friary on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 in Loudonville, NY. (Phoebe Sheehan/Times Union) (Phoebe Sheehan, Albany Times Union | Times Union)

Siena College's presidential residence is on the other end of the extravagance scale. As leader of a Franciscan school, Siena's president, Ed Coughlin, is a brother in that order and lives in their friary on the edge of the campus.

The main living area has the look of a well-maintained budget hotel, with comfortable chairs in a lobby-like main room. Living quarters are reached through interior corridors that could be from a Marriott Courtyard. There is a reading room, and the walls are adorned with religious icons and paintings, including one of the Palio de Siena horse race in Siena Italy.

Residents of the circa-1980s building dwell in what is essentially a large private dorm or small hotel room. A guest room which is similar to the others, had an easy chair, flat screen TV, chest of drawers and a bed.

One nod to their status at the school is an outdoor patio, that is several inches below ground level. It allows the brothers to look out across the campus while enjoying some privacy from the passersby.

"It's pretty minimalist," said Coughlin.

Brother Ed Coughlin stands in the inner lobby at the Siena friary on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 in Loudonville, NY. (Phoebe Sheehan/Times Union)

Brother Ed Coughlin stands in the inner lobby at the Siena friary on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 in Loudonville, NY. (Phoebe Sheehan/Times Union)